


Leftovers

by Elisexyz



Category: Lost in Space (TV 2018)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Episode: s01e03 Infestation, Father-Daughter Relationship, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-17
Updated: 2020-02-17
Packaged: 2021-02-28 05:15:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 902
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22628449
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elisexyz/pseuds/Elisexyz
Summary: When she sees him, Penny’s first instinct is cracking a joke about Mom kicking him out of bed.
Relationships: John Robinson & Penny Robinson
Comments: 18
Kudos: 32





	Leftovers

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the Tumblr prompt: ["I-I miss your arms around me as I slept, I know it’s embarrassing but you made me feel safe." + John/Penny](https://heytheredeann.tumblr.com/post/190880402519/that-was-awesome-thank-you-if-i-can-ask-for-one). It's set during the night after they found the eels on the ship in 1x03. ~~And it's mildly irritating that this came out _almost_ 1k words long.~~

When she sees him, Penny’s first instinct is cracking a joke about Mom kicking him out of bed. A fraction of second later, when she remembers the current state of her parents’ relationship, she realizes that that might actually be accurate and that she doesn’t want to know.

He notices her before she can find something else to tell him.

“Hey,” he says, looking up from his book. “What are you doing still up?”

She shrugs, making her way over to the couch so that she can sit next to him. “I’m not sleepy.” It’s not a lie, though she is _tired_ as hell. “I’m waiting until I tire myself out.” More accurately, she’s waiting until she _passes_ out. That way she can skip the whole ‘tossing and turning until by some kind of miracle you manage to fall asleep’ stage.

“Yeah, me too,” he confesses, his tone very sympathetic. “I thought one of your mom’s books would help, but so far I’m only confused.”

She snorts, crossing her legs to get more comfortable. “Tell me about it, I can’t even follow _Will_ most of the time.”

Now that she isn’t alone, not focusing on every creaking sound echoing around the ship comes a little more easily. Still, every moment of silence is enough for her to feel like she still has something wrapping itself around her leg, and she can’t help shuddering.

It might not have gone unnoticed.

“So,” her dad says, setting his book aside and twisting his torso so that he’s facing her better. “It’s been a long day.”

That’s a good opening.

“Yeah,” she snorts, crossing her arms tightly. “You could say that.”

She thought she’d get _eaten_ by a bunch of alien eels there for a minute, and apparently those things lived on their ship and they didn’t _notice_ — how the hell is she supposed to ever get any more sleep in there?

“Wanna talk about it?” he asks, gently. When she dares looking at him, he’s giving her that intent Dad-look, the one that says ‘I’m here, sweetie, you can tell me anything, let me fix it’ and her eyes burn a little, because she _missed_ that.

She shrugs, looking away. “I don’t know, I guess I’m just a little twitchy,” she mutters. “There were alien _monsters_ hiding on the ship.”

“There aren’t any more,” he’s quick to reassure her. “Me and your mother checked, thoroughly. You’re safe, I promise.”

She takes a breath, looking up to him to nod and give him her best smile. She doesn’t want him to think that she doesn’t trust that they did a good job, it’s just —

“It’s okay if doesn’t feel like it, though,” he adds then, reaching out to squeeze her shoulder and offering a reassuring smile. “It’s normal.”

Great, now she _really_ wants to cry.

Instead, she nods once again, taking the biggest breath that she can without it making too obvious that she’s trying to push back a flood of tears and looking away. He doesn’t remove his hand, and she just wants to get closer.

“Dad?” Her voice comes out a little strained, and she doesn’t look up.

“Yeah?”

“Do you remember — do you remember when I was little, and I was afraid of monsters under my bed, and you’d just — hold me until I fell asleep?”

The fond reminiscence in his voice is evident when he answers: “Yeah, of course.” When she looks up, he’s smiling.

She shouldn’t be this nervous about asking, he’s hardly going to say no, but — it still feels a little stupid. She’s too old for this. She’s travelling through space, and they have all seen some shit in the last few days, it’s so _stupid_ to be like this when nothing is wrong anymore.

(Judy wouldn’t need to ask, she’d just figure it out on her own.)

“Sometimes I kind of miss that,” she gets out anyway. “I — I know it’s embarrassing, but — you made me feel safe.”

The moments of silence that follow prompt her to hesitantly look up once again. He’s just staring at her, like he has forgotten how to move.

Before she can take it back, though, he’s smiling once again. “I think that we can both fit in your bed, if we apply ourselves,” he declares, confidently. “How does that sound?”

That sounds perfect. Except —

“I know it’s stupid,” she feels the need to clarify. “I just —”

“It’s not stupid at all,” he’s quick to counter, his tone gentle, if perfectly serious. He leans a bit towards her, grabbing both of her shoulders as he looks at her in the eye. It takes some effort not to look away. “Sweetie, you’ve been through a lot,” he says. “You and everyone else. It’s okay to ask for help, and whatever you need from me — you just ask, okay? It’s what dads are for.”

The result of his heartfelt speech is that he promptly disappears into a blur, which is just fantastic. Still, she cracks an honest smile, and her voice doesn’t quiver much when she speaks.

“Okay,” she says, quietly. “I really need a long hug.”

When she blinks, because she just _had_ to at some point, he wipes away her tears and promptly lays a kiss on her forehead. “Let’s go get you one then.”

There’s a very good chance that she won’t let him go anywhere for the rest of the night.

**Author's Note:**

> This story is part of the [LLF Comment Project](https://longlivefeedback.tumblr.com/llfcommentproject), which was created to improve communication between readers and authors. This author invites and appreciates comments, including: 
> 
>   * Short comments
>   * Long comments
>   * Questions
>   * “<3” as extra kudos
>   * Reader-reader interaction
> 

> 
> If you don’t want a reply, for any reason, feel free to sign your comment with “whisper” and I will appreciate it but not respond!


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